Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:00 pm on 5 June 2024.
I thank Rhys ab Owen for that. And could I just mention the fact that I'm very grateful to Plaid Cymru and Cefin Campbell for the work that we've done on developing the Bill? And our intention is to continue with that work and to keep in contact on how we can proceed with that in a co-operative way, in terms of the Bill and the Act, ultimately.
The Member makes an important point in terms of planning for Welsh-medium places. The Bill deals in a broader way than just with Welsh-medium schools. We have seen, I think, progress in terms of the ambition in the Welsh in education strategic plans, and also ensuring, through the changes and reforms that we've made to the grants that go to the schools and the consortia historically—. We are combining those to ensure that they can be used in a more flexible way, in order to mitigate some of the challenges that authorities experience in terms of planning. But the Member is right to say that we need to ensure that we are providing Welsh-medium education to any child who wishes to receive that education, and that that is accessible in all parts of Wales.